Library usage by university accounting students : a comparison of contact and open distance learning institution in South Africa

This study examines the current level of library patronage among accounting students both in the distance and a contact learning institution in South Africa. There is a relative absence of studies of academic library usage by accounting students. The low level of library usage, that is, low level of library visits and poor research skills of undergraduate accounting students has been attributed to the difficulty in integrating accounting curriculum with information literacy. However, the challenge facing academic librarians is persuading both academic faculty and accounting students to integrate information literacy into their curriculum and to convince individual students to make time in their schedules for library usage. In South Africa, this problem is compounded when it is a requirement of the accreditation body, The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), which requires academic departments to integrate library usage into the accounting curriculum for their programme to be accredited. The study examines the current level of library patronage among accounting students both in a distance and a contact learning institution in South Africa. The sub-objectives of the study were to investigate the reasons for low level of library patronage among accounting students in South African Universities; to determine what features would make the use of a library for locating information that is relevant and attractive to university accounting students in a contact and a distance learning institution in South Africa; and to investigate what, if any, improvements to library service can be made to make the use of the library of significant importance. Using a survey research method that utilises a structured questionnaire, this study gathered data from a sample of 500 accounting students from a distance and a contact learning institution in South Africa, out of which 379 returned completed questionnaire, representing 76%. The finding indicates that as with most accounting students across the world, South African students are no exception because of the peculiarity and design of their programme curriculum that provides recommended texts for students’ usage. The findings further show that the apathy of library services patronage among university accounting students in South Africa is exacerbated by lecturers who seldom give assignments or tasks that require the students to search for information beyond the recommended textbooks. Findings indicate that the most significant factor that influences accounting students of universities to patronise library resources are the expertise and interaction of the library staff. This is supported by the Expectation-Confirmation Theory framework which posits that patrons will continue to use library services only if their perceived perception of the usefulness of the services are satisfied. In this case, accounting students from both institutions examined in this study confirm the Expectation-Confirmation Theory framework of satisfaction being based on the perception of the library services they receive. The study recommends that in motivating accounting students to patronise library services, library management needs to understand the discipline-specific teaching and learning practices and collaborate with curriculum developers in the accounting discipline to incorporate the use of library services in their programme. Further study is encouraged to include all universities that offer accounting programmes in South Africa for a more robust finding.Information ScienceM. Inf. (Information Science

An Approach to Adaptivity and Collaboration Support in a Web-Based Learning Environment

The development of Web 2.0 and social software applications was not initially aimed for education, but its influence in this field, especially in e-learning, is recently recognized as positive. New approach to e-learning inspired by these technologies is called e-learning 2.0. It emphasizes social learning using different tools available on the web rather then integrated systems like LMSs. This paper describes framework for further development of adaptive LMS according to constructivist theory of learning, advantages of Web 2.0 applications and characteristics of e-learning 2.0